Sydney Indie Film Festival 2018 – 22nd October 7:30PM – Opening Night – Dog’s Best Friend
Sydney Indie Film Festival 2018 – 22nd October 7:30PM – Opening Night
Feature Documentary “Dog’s Best Friend”
+ Short Films “Splinter” “The Invention”
+ Q&A with the Filmmakers!
SUGGESTED ARRIVAL TIME: 7:20PM
For the Red Carpet Meetings & Greetings Shananigans 
TICKETS:
Q&A with
Adam Marriott, SPLINTER
Eryn Wilson & Jacob Leezak, DOG’S BEST FRIEND
FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
Dog’s Best Friend
Director Eryn Wilson, New Zealand, Australia
Synopsis: A canine rehabilitation centre is tenderly profiled in Kiwi director Eryn Wilson’s affectionate documentary Dog’s Best Friend. Run by ex-soldier Jacob Leezak, the Canine Behaviour Expert Dog Psychology Centre is located on a property in outer Sydney that houses no fewer than 30 dogs at a time – all either abandoned, set to be euthanised or brought in by clients unable to handle their pet’s aggressive side. While Jacob will often allude to the media stigmatisation of particular breeds (the film even opens with some sobering euthanisation stats), Wilson wisely never centres the story on that debate. Instead, he focuses on the bond between man and dog, observing Jacob’s tailored process of rehabilitating misunderstood canines and the traumatic backgrounds that brought both him and his fiancée Jennah to this line of work.
Over a span of months, we get to watch the couple lovingly work with a range of pooches, with encounters that range from heated to heartwarming (try not to melt as one pup reaches new levels of Zen during a massage session). Without ever succumbing to soapboxing, this sweet and unassuming portrait is essential viewing for dog-lovers and dog-haters alike.
@dogsbfdoco
SHORT FILMS
Splinter
Director Adam Marriott, Australia,
Cast: Pete Hilcke, Ian Macleish, Ben Crisfield-Smith, Patrick Duffy, David Fowles, Rick Vaveliuk
Synopsis: Filmed at the historic Old Geelong Gaol, Splinter is based on the experiences of notorious ex-con Joe Tog. Serving another stretch inside, Joe watches out for a vulnerable prisoner, only to find looks can deceive.
The Invention
Director Leo McGuigan, United Kingdom
Cast: Luke Walford, Frankie McCafferty, Mary Lindsay
Synopsis: In 1960s Belfast, a young boy comes of age while devising a plan to steal cigarettes.
Inspired by a true story, The Invention takes place in Belfast during the summer of 1968. We follow the exploits of Frankie, a mischievous and resourceful young boy who’s more than happy to spend his summer listening to his record player (“the devil’s business”, as his granny calls it) or playing with his friends Eamon and Paul. Things change for Frankie, however, when his kind but troubled father finds himself in debt to a local gangster. Before long, Frankie concocts the perfect plan to solve his family’s troubles. It’s a plan that involves high-stakes poker, bamboo sticks, and bacon. A lot of bacon.
A nostalgic look back at a simpler time that deftly blends humour and pathos, The Invention is a heartwarming coming-of-age tale that seeks to answer the age-old question: how far are you willing to go to protect your family?
@whatsnextfilms
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